Coaching Is an Investment, Not a Bandaid

We live in a quick-fix culture. Want to change your wifi password? You can look up how in seconds. Your sink is clogged? You can get Draino shipped to your home in hours. We’ve been trained to believe that all problems are fast and easy to fix.

But the reality is, that quick fixes don’t help in the areas of life where it counts. And the 'quick-fix' mentality is especially problematic when applied to career development.

If you want to build a fulfilling career, you can’t expect quick fixes. It takes strategy, iteration, and resilience. It takes time and introspection.

So if you want to rise the ranks in your company or land your dream job, I want to explain why doing a single consultation won’t be enough.

Why a Single Call Isn’t Enough

Here at Ready Reset Go, I offer a 60-minute job search analysis for $95.

These calls can be ground-breaking—you may realize what you’ve been doing wrong, what your hidden strengths are, and come away with clear marching orders.

But doing a single call isn’t enough.

On a single call, you’ll get limited insights, but that’s different than implementation.

Not to mention that deep transformation doesn’t come from insights from a single call, it comes from getting deeper levels of insights and taking accordant action week in and week out. If any coach suggests that a single call will be enough to shift your career, they’re probably overpromising.

Even if you come away feeling clear on how to navigate your challenges from the first call, applying the solutions takes time and consistency. It requires ongoing coaching conversations to unveil layer after layer of what’s holding you back and to keep moving forward toward your goals.

Doing a one-off call also feels good. It gives a sense of clarity and emotional relief. But the good feelings aren’t enough on their own. If you rely on this emotional relief without doing the work, then you’re using career coaching as a bandaid, and not an investment in yourself.

Ultimately, your goal is to better your career in some way. And that takes commitment, time, and resilience. It requires showing up to take the steps day after day. Both when it feels good and when it doesn’t.

What the Job-Search Analysis Is (and Isn’t)

If you’re considering signing up for a 60-minute job-search analysis, here’s a clear guide on what to expect from mine. Most coaches will have something similar.

The job search analysis includes:

Your personalized action plan. You’ll come away feeling clear about what steps to take to get hired, climb the ladder, or move toward your dream job.
Clarifying your strengths and challenges. You’ll get a sense of the exact roadblocks holding you back, as well as your superpowers that you should capitalize on more.
Your session recording. You can play back the sessions as many times as you like to fully extract all the insights and ah-ha’s.
A free book. You’ll get a digital copy of The Art of Finding the Job You Love: An Unconventional Guide to Work with Meaning, which teaches you to leverage storytelling, improv techniques, and self-reflection to get the job you want.

The job search analysis does not include:

Deep coaching. The job search analysis isn’t a coaching session. Coaching sessions will go even deeper to help you understand who you are, what you want, and what’s holding you back.
Long-term support. Clarity is one thing, but achieving your goals is another. Goal achievement is a long-term process, and long-term support can’t be found in a single session.
Résumé rewrites. Another benefit of coaching is having someone to help you write and customize your résumés. This type of detailed, tactical support is only found in a coaching package, and it can be the difference that gets you an interview.
Interview practice. Plenty of job seekers get interviews but haven’t learned how to ace them. A career coaching relationship can help you prep for the right questions, and practice your responses. But that type of support won’t happen in a 60-minute job search analysis.
Networking guidance. In a coaching package, your career coach can make introductions and teach you to expand your network. But this type of long-lasting support can’t occur in a single session.
Accountability. One of the main benefits of a coaching relationship is the accountability that ensures you take action steps every week and execute your plan. If you only do a job-search analysis without further support, you could fall prey to procrastination and let your brilliant plans die on the vine.

"I hired Ready Reset Go to help me with my résumé, and it was a wonderful experience that ultimately led to me landing a dream role with Google… If you’re looking for that next step in your career, I highly recommend reaching out to Cara. It could literally change your life; it did mine."

Michael Duskus

UX Design Manager,

Google

My Recommendation for a Coaching Package

If you decide you want longer-term coaching support, but you’re on a tight budget, then you could consider our Tier 1 package.

It costs $350/month (with the $95 payment from your job search analysis applied to the first month).

In the Tier 1 package, you’ll get:

Access to on-demand job search resources. If you need knowledge or ideas on how to move forward, you’ll have a wealth of resources to tap into so you don’t waste time figuring things out alone.
Group coaching calls where you’ll receive guidance from an expert coach and benefit from the insights of your fellow group members. All in the name of moving toward your dream role.
A support community. Inevitably, you’ll hit rough patches where you feel unmotivated or unconfident; and in those periods nothing is more helpful than the support of a community.

An Alternative Option for 1-on-1 Coaching

While group coaching is a powerful experience, some clients feel certain they want 1-on-1 support. If that’s you, and you’re on a tight budget, you could try the International Association of Career Coaches (IACC).

Just fill out this form, and the IACC will send you several coaches who fit your budget and the type of support you need.

You can find lower-cost coaches and even some pro bono coaches who are taking on free clients to complete their Senior Professional Career Coach training.

"Cara was the gift to myself that I didn't know I needed. As a self identified high-achievieving professional, I had the misconception that career coaching wasn't for people like me, but the truth was I was stuck. Cara and her team were immensely empowering on my journey of personal and professional discovery."

Rachel Moran

Vice President, Purpose

Edelman